Fairy Tales: Redone and Rewritten as Yaoi
by Pliva
Summary: All the basic fairy tales rewritten to have yaoi.Sleeping Beauty is redone and completly different, so if you already read this you might want to reread it, otherwise you will not get part 2 Warning: This is slash2 guys together romanticaly. Kay?
1. Sleeping Beauty Part 1

-1The Crown Prince's birth was talked about for years. His father had been killed by poison three weeks before the queen was found to be pregnant. The queen herself died on the birthing bed, the midwives unable to stop the bleeding. At the Prince's christening, and evil fairy cursed the child, saying he would die before his eighteenth birthday, pricked by his Father's crown. As the evil fairy faded away, one of the remaining good fairies used her gifts to bypass the curse, assuring that the prince would only sleep. The boy's uncle, the new regent for the kingdom, narrowed his eyes and slipped the evil fairy some money as she revisited him later that night.

As the kingdom grew restless, the Regent, King Jude publicly melted the King's crown, and sent the child away to stay with witches, saying that he would not return until the day after his eighteenth birthday to stop the curse from ever occurring. And so the crown prince faded into the background of the kingdom's politics as war, drought, and pirate attacks descended upon the land. Soon, Prince Tsule's name was but a distant whisper in the minds of the court.

"Juniper, Tsule! Surely you must be done gathering herbs!" Scarlet yelled across the field surrounding the large cottage.

"We surely are!" Came the shout from a nearby apple tree. The woman turned around to see her two charges grinning at her from amongst the leafy branches.

"Then get down here." Scarlet scolded, shaking her head. "It's almost dinner. And you better not have filled up on apples."

"We were gathering them." Tsule said as he jumped down. "So Juniper can make apple pie."

"I think we should teach Tsule here to make them." Juniper said as she climbed down and tugged on a lock of Tsule's blue hair. "Just because he's a boy doesn't mean he shouldn't know how to bake. Or cook, for that matter."

"The difference," Claret said, coming from the stream with a load of laundry, "Is that Tsule is here because he is our nephew. You are here to learn the Craft." Juniper pouted.

"And I finished that two years ago. I am nearly fifteen, and yet I still stay with my teachers." she pointed out.

"That is merely a failure to kick you out." Tsule teased, earning a sharp kick from the brown haired sorceress.

"Ow!"

"Serves you right." Scarlet said when Tsule began to whine. "You're almost seventeen, you should be able to defend yourself against a fifteen year old girl."

"But Juniper's different! She's… she's vicious!" Tsule argued.

"Oh? And how many other fifteen year old girls do you know to compare her to?" Claret asked with a snort. When Tsule mumbled something about not even seeing another girl, Claret continued. "So you don't know if she is any more vicious then the others. Now take our baskets in and see if Violet needs any help cooking. That goes for you , too Juniper." The two women handed the teens the baskets and sent them inside.

"Do you think we should take Tsule into town?" Scarlet muttered to Claret as soon as they disappeared into the house. "We don't want to overwhelm him when he turns nineteen."

"No." Claret replied, shaking her head. "We can't risk any bit of that crown floating around. Who knows who might have gotten so much of a droplet from the melted mound it became." Scarlet nodded in agreement and they entered the house.

Tsule had a problem sleeping that night. His bed was by the only window in the room that Juniper and he shared. He was currently sitting up in his bed leaning against the headboard with his knees drawn to his chest, looking outside at the full moon.

"Can't sleep?" he heard Juniper's voice ask. Tsule turned his head to see her standing there, watching him with a hint of concern.

"No, not really." Tsule said as he shook his head. Juniper smiled and sat down at the foot of his bed and turned to look out the window.

"I can't either. I don't know why; tonight feels like it's going to be different somehow." she said with a sigh before turning back to Tsule.

"I know what you mean." he replied, echoing her sigh.

"You know," Juniper suddenly said, "I've been thinking of leaving here."

"What!?" Tsule asked, quickly sitting upright. Juniper gave him a small, understanding smile.

"I have been here for two more years then necessary. I should get out into the world and do things. Scarlet, Claret, and Violet do say I'm one of the most powerful people they've ever met." Juniper explained.

"Yeah, but I'd hate to lose my honorary sister and be left here alone." Tsule said, referring to an old childhood pact. Juniper smiled at that.

"You'll get out of here and see the world, Tsule. They'll let you go eventually. Don't worry."

"Hopefully." Tsule said with a sigh and leaned back before shooting straight up. "There's someone in the field!" Juniper was quickly at the window, balancing on her hands and knees.

"It's a man, and he's hurt." Juniper said, quickly jumping up and running for the ladder that led down into the cottage. Tsule tore off his blankets and followed her. Juniper was already putting on her coat and unlocking the door when Tsule got down the ladder, so he woke up his aunts and told them what was happening before the followed her, pulling on his own cloak to protect against the cool autumn air made colder by the night.

"Easy now." Juniper was saying as she helped the red haired man remain standing. Tsule could see blood all over the man, and howls of wolves in the distance made him understand what probably happened.

"Berle… Quint…" The man was gasping, "Is Parre okay?"

"Calm down, they're not here so they weren't attacked." Juniper assured the man before glancing at Claret, who was the first women to reach them. "He isn't here to hurt us, and his aura and some probing says he won't hurt us unless we hurt him."

"Then we should do our best, then." Scarlet said, quickly assessing the damage the man had on sight. "Bring him into the house. Claret, run and tell Violet to ready one of the beds. I'll get rid of the wolves. " Tsule and Juniper each slid under one of his arms and helped him take staggering steps inside.

"Are you allergic to anything?" Violet asked the semiconscious man as they laid him down.

"…mangos… poison ivy…poison oak…poison sumac.. That's it." the man muttered, eyelids fluttering as Violet brought him into a deep sleep.

"All right, that's good." she said soothingly before giving orders. "Tsule, go get water and add wood to the fire so we can boil it. Claret, go with him and magic some hot water fast. Juniper, get bandages and all the salves and pastes." Tsule grabbed two buckets and ran with Claret at his side, praying that the man would be okay.

The man was still asleep in the morning. Violet announced that he didn't have a fever, and that it was important to change his bandages frequently and keep his wounds clean so they didn't get infected. The man, she reported, and two stab wounds and several wolf bites. Tsule wondered if someone tried to kill him and left him for dead. If he could fight wolves and run away from them with stab wounds, then this man was tough indeed.

"Are we sure he's not a convict or something?" Tsule muttered to Juniper as they gathered wood for the fire. Juniper shook her head.

"I don't know about that. His aura did have a dark shadow. But it also said that he would hurt us unless we hurt him. He's not a threat." She explained.

Three days later, as the man still slept, Scarlet, Violet, and Claret left for town for supplies. Juniper went out into the woods to look for more plants so they could make more slaves, and left Tsule with the man and a charm Tsule could use to alert her if the man woke up. Tsule had fondly watched his aunts' backs disappear into the woods, begin their half day walk into town. Scarlet was the smart one; she was the one that actually taught Tsule and Juniper their lessons. Violet was much better and domestic chores like cooking, cleaning, and healing. Claret was much tougher; she taught Tsule how to hunt and work the garden and how to cut a tree for wood, since he could not use magic like they could.

"…Blue hair is…unusual." Tsule heard a cracked voice say from the bed behind him. Tsule spun around to see the man looking at him, eyes tired but still alert.

"I wouldn't know." Tsule replied, touching the charm before walking over to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore. Where am I?" the man asked, watching him intently.

"In my aunts' cabin… I don't really know where this is, though." Tsule said after a pause.

"You don't even know the name of the woods?" the man finally asked. Tsule shook his head.

"I've never left the property." Tsule admitted, a little embarrassed. The man gave him a long look.

"What's your name?" he then asked.

"Tsule." The name's owner replied. A small smile flitted across the man's lips.

"An unusual name for an unusual head." he said before yawning. "My name is Caden. Captain Caden, actually." Tsule opened his mouth to ask him what he was the captain of when Juniper burst into the cottage.

"You're awake!" she gasped, out of breath from running with the large basked of necessary plants. "Do you need anything?"

"Something to drink would be good." Caden replied as Juniper set the basket down. Tsule looked in the water barrel.

"We don't have any. I'll get some and fill the barrel while I'm at it." he said before heading towards the stream. By the time Tsule finished, Juniper had gotten him some water and was giving him broth.

"You're doing amazingly well." Juniper said, helping him sit up and put a tray for the broth across his lap so he could eat. "It must have to do with that strong healing spell from that charm around your neck."

"So you're a sorceress, eh?" Caden asked with a laugh. "It does help, doesn't it. My brother made it for me."

"Is he a sorcerer?" Tsule asked, putting down the bucket.

"Yeah. One of the best." Caden sighed, looking down at his broth. "What's my projected recovery rate?"

"…If you're lucky, you can leave in the spring." Juniper finally replied.

"What!?" he exclaimed, jerking with alarm. "I can't wait that long!"

"It's fall, almost winter. You won't be ready to leave until winter is already here, and then you won't be able to leave period." Juniper shook her head. "Spring is the earliest possible time." Caden looked troubled.

"Could you send a letter for me then? So my family knows that I am alright." he asked. Juniper smiled and nodded. "Of course, Scarlet can send it when she goes to town to stock up right before winter."

"Scarlet?" he asked blankly.

"One of my aunts, Scarlet, Violet, and Claret." Tsule supplied "This is their cottage. I live here with them."

"Ah. I thought the other two beds were yours. Where are they?" he asked, looking around and noticing the loft.

"They went into town to get supplies. They'll be back around nightfall." Juniper said.

"So, are you two lovers? Siblings? What?" Caden asked them. Tsule stared at him, a blush sprouting across his cheeks.

"Ehn, n-no!" Tsule stuttered. Juniper laughed and shook her head.

"I'm a student of Tsule's aunts. They taught me magic." she explained. "I'm sort-of like Tsule's sister, though."

"Ah." Caden said, only responding out of politeness as he turned all of his attention to his broth. Juniper smiled across the bed at Tsule, amused as his cheeks finally returned to their normal paler color.

When the aunts returned home, Violet checked over Caden and the salves Juniper had made during the day. She also confirmed Juniper's expected projection of recovery, something Caden remained a little worried about. Because Violet had to take care of Caden, Juniper decided to stay until spring to help Tsule, Scarlet, and Claret get ready for winter. Caden was still banished to his bed, as while he healed quickly, but he lost most of his energy in the process. So whenever they brought in vegetables to preserve during winter, Caden was the one who cut it up. Tsule and Claret also worked to cut enough wood for heat, something they had been steadily building on all summer. The bit of help Caden did actually made an impact on their preparations, and by the time the first hard frost hit they were more than ready, and Caden even had enough energy to help lug some wood.

By the beginning of winter Caden could move about the house all day comfortably, so the aunts sent him up in the attic with Tsule and Juniper, where he had to share a bed with Tsule. Unfortunately, the three roommates had too much in common to do much sleeping, and they usually ended up quietly playing cards or watched each other play chess.

"Checkmate." Juniper told Caden smugly, knocking down his black queen. Caden scowled back at her.

"I haven't lost a game to a girl for a long time. Figures I'd lose to you." he huffed, before laughing and shaking his head. "You're smart for seventeen."

"You flatter me, really." Juniper replied, primping her hair. "It's cold, too cold for myself. I'm going to sleep downstairs next to the fire. Do you want my bed, Caden?" Caden shook his head.

"It's only bearable up here because we share a bed. If we split we'd lose body heat and it'd be pointless." he explained as Tsule's head popped up the ladder, melting snowflakes still on his bangs, acquired as he had gone to the shed for extra firewood.

"Scarlet says if you're going to sleep down there to go now, because they're going to bed soon." Tsule said with a yawn, heading over to the trunk so he could quickly change into dry nightclothes. Juniper nodded and grabbed her pillow and blankets and tossed them down the ladder, earning a scolding from Claret. She rolled her eyes, bid them goodnight and climbed down. Caden chuckled and turned around so he could get into the bed, smirking as he watched Tsule pull of his shirt, unaware of the lecherous gaze Caden was giving him. It should be mentioned that Caden was a good man. That didn't mean he was above exploiting a chance for a peep show like this. After all, he was a good man with needs.

After Tsule finished changing he joined Caden in the bed that Claret and Juniper had magically stretched. He climbed over to the spot next to the window that Caden always let him have. He buried himself under the covers and waited for their bodies to heat the space so he could fall asleep like he always did.

"So, did you ever know your parents?" Caden asked. Tsule rolled over to face him, resting his head on the pillow.

"No. I've never really even asked the aunts about them much; but they did tell me that my father died while my mother was pregnant and that she died in childbirth. They say I'm very lucky to have survive." Tsule replied, biting back a yawn.

"I didn't know my parents either." Caden said, giving up a small smile. "I grew up in an orphanage with my three siblings."

"What are their names?" Tsule asked. Caden hadn't really talked about his life, so he was inter tested.

"Well there's Parre; he's my older brother. He ended up becoming a merchant, because he was adopted into that family. Then there's Quint, who's younger than me. He's the sorcerer I talk about. And the youngest is Berle, she's the girl of the family. We're quite protective older brothers." Caden chuckled, his eyes distant as he saw memories that Tsule suddenly wished he could share. "She's a very good cook; I'd to see her and Violet unleashed on a kitchen."

"Juniper's the closest thing I have a sister, and she didn't show up until I was ten." Tsule said, but he was smiling.

"She's an interesting girl." Caden admitted just as Tsule emitted a giant yawn. He chuckled and ruffled Tsule's hair. "Get some sleep. We can share our reminiscing in the morning." Tsule nodded and said good night before rolling onto his side. Soon he was sleeping peacefully. That is to say, he _was _sleeping peacefully.

"_Tsule" A voice called. "Tsule"_

_Tsule fidgeted a little. The voice was velvety smooth and somewhat familiar. His name was called again and this time Tsule shivered, hearing raw sensuality in the voice._

"_Tsule, won't you open your eyes" The voice purred before Tsule felt fingers running down his sides as lips attacked his neck and throat. Tsule felt unable to, the little kisses drawing him in. The lips must have sensed this, for they lightly bit down on the flesh were Tsule's neck met his shoulders. Tsule's eyes flew open, and he saw dark red hair._

_Dark…red…hair?_

"_Awake?" Caden whispered, his breath ghosting across Tsule's bare chest. Wait…bare!?_

_Tsule moved to sit up but Caden merely brought his hands to push him back down before turning his attention to one of Tsule's nipples. His mouth descended on it, licking and kissing it before biting it. _

"_C..Caden!" Tsule managed to say. _

"_What?" Caden replied innocently as he turned his attention to the other twin peak._

"_St…stop!" Tsule gasped as his nerves delivered a wave of pleasure and sent blood rushing …lower. _

"_Do you really want me to?" Caden asked with a dark chuckle as his hand went the way of the blood, slipping his hand down Tsule's body._

"_Caden!" Tsule gasped again, but he wasn't sure if it was in protest or in pleasure._

"_Tsule…Tsule…_

"Tsule? Wake up, you're having a bad dream." Caden's voice cut through the fog of Tsule's dream, bringing him back to harsh reality. His blue head shot straight up, narrowly missing Caden's as he scooted out of the way.

"Are you okay?" Caden asked. Tsule shot his gaze downward, noticing a small lump in the blanket.

"Fine!" Tsule replied too quickly.

"You were muttering and tossing in your sleep. Are you sure you're okay?" Caden asked, and Tsule could see his eyes glittering in the moonlight that shone through the window.

"Yeah… I… dreamed I was drowning!" Tsule blurted, thinking of a quick lie. "I think it's cause I have to go to the bathroom. Excuse me." And with that he darted down the ladder for the little makeshift room they had downstairs that the aunts had designed for such an occasion, leaving Caden behind with his head tilted to the side.

Wow. That is Compeletly different from the original. And it is only part one --. Truth is, I really like the characters of Juniper (who will show up A LOT) and Tsule and Caden. So in this version of the story, you really get more of them. Wh00tness.


	2. Sleeping Beauty Part 2

As soon as Tsule was out of sight, Caden clamped his hand over his mouth to hold back his chuckles. He had lied a little when he told Tsule his reasons for waking him up. It was true; Tsule had been muttering and rolling in his sleep. But he had been muttering Caden's name. Caden still remembered Tsule's flushed face made blue and pale in the moonlight. He had been sorely tempted to "help out" a little. But he knew better and had woken Tsule up instead, although he did wonder if he should have stolen a kiss and copped it to the dream.

" Bad thoughts, bad thoughts." Caden muttered to himself, scratching the back of his head. He liked the kid; he really did. But this kid was completely shut off, and Caden had reason to believe that he was the only other man Tsule had ever met. And considering that the only other people the young boy knew was his aunts and Juniper, whom the boys obviously regarded as a sister, it made sense that he would decided to swoon over him.

'You've never felt this way.' injected a little voice in his head. 'You get warm looking at him. You _never_ get warm.'

"Yeah, well- shut up." Caden shot back. It didn't matter what he felt. He wasn't about to make advances on the kid and then run back to his ship the second spring hit.

'You could always bring him with you.'

"On my ship? Innocent kid like that? You must be joking."

'Well considering I'm you- you're joking.'

"Great. Not only am I talking to myself, I'm also pointing out my own stupidity."Caden sighed and rolled over. "I really miss wine and rum."

The following week passed without further incident. It soon faded from the minds of both Caden and Tsule, as the winter wore on. Finally the Winter Solstice arrived and they were all busy so they could have a celebration. Tsule and Caden began daily hunts, trapping rabbits and even one unlucky turkey. Claret turned her attention to ice fishing, no doubt using a hint of magic to lure even the bigger fish to the surface. Juniper made colorful candles, and went out to bring several small boughs of pine branches and even one big pine tree into the cottage. Violet had cleared various bits of furniture out of the way, and soon the pine tree stood majestically in the middle of the great room, far across from the giant fireplace and the oven, but surrounded by a few chairs and benches. Violet covered the rest of the house in dark red and green cloths on all the beds and tablecloths. Scarlet was often holed up in the aunt's bedroom, as she was in control of everyone's presents.

"Only two more days until Solstice." Juniper declared enthusiastically one morning as they all sat around the tree getting warmed up for the day.

"I'm so glad." Tsule said.

"I love this holiday. Everyone's so happy, and the house smells so good."

"That's only because of Violet." Claret replied, sending a smile at her sister.

"Believe me, if I was cooking it wouldn't smell so nice."

"Her cooking is even worse then mine." Scarlet told Caden.

"You should have been here a few years ago when Violet was sick and we had to fend for ourselves"

"_We_ had to fend for ourselves?" Juniper interrupted. "You mean _I _cooked for everyone."

"I cooked, too!" Tsule added, popping his head out from underneath the mass of blankets on top of him.

"That's true. You weren't too bad, for your first time." Claret admitted  
"Well if you got sick this winter, I could cook for everyone." Caden said with a laugh.  
"Really? You know how to cook?" Juniper asked.  
"Oh, sure. When I lived with my brother, I had to cook for him and our younger siblings. Course, my sister's better then I'll ever be, so I just let her have run of the kitchen when she became interested" Caden told them.

"How old is your sister?" Violet asked, settling down on the bench next to her sisters with a mug of mint tea.  
"She's sixteen."

"So she's Tsule's age!" Claret replied with a laugh."If you come back to visit us after you leave, bring her with you. Maybe you could set them up!" The aunts and Juniper laughed and Caden chuckled, but Tsule was once again buried beneath the blankets so no one could tell he wasn't laughing.

"Alright, Tsule. We should go and see if we can bag a deer to eat during Solstice." Caden decided, standing up so he could get their arrows. Tsule reluctantly emerged from underneath Blanket Mountain, putting on his fur lined boot, coats, and gloves as fast as he could to stay warm. He was still pouting when Caden held open the door and they walked out onto the cold white clearing. "You really don't like hunting, do you?" Caden asked with a chuckle, seeing the look on Tsule's face when he looked back longingly at the cottage.  
"Hunting isn't horrible; it kills them faster then freezing, starvation, or the wolves would. I just don't like the cold that much."

"Don't worry; I brought the tent and the charms. We'll be warm in no time."

The stand was a twenty minute walk from the cottage, because the dear didn't travel near the cottage. Once there, Caden climbed up the tree onto the platform and shook out the tent the aunts gave them for hunting. It was actually quite big, for it had enough room for three people and some game. Once the tent was on the platform, Tsule came up and set up the two charms; one heated the tent for them, the other alerted them when a dear came into the area so the y could be quiet, and then changed color when it was in shooting range.  
"You may not realize this," Caden remarked as they got settled, "But you have it pretty easy out here with all your aunt's magic."

"What do you mean?" Tsule asked, propped up on his elbows using his discarded coat as a pillow.  
"When people go hunting in winter, they don't have tents with heating charms or hunting charms. They usually sit in their coats until something happens to come along." Caden explained. Tsule sighed.  
"I'm sheltered." Tsule muttered, causing Caden to laugh.

"Maybe, but it's not necessarily a bad thing." He replied.  
"Caden-" Tsule quietly said after a small silence.  
"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about that night a few weeks ago." Tsule murmured, but Caden still heard it.  
"It's okay, it happens to everyone." Caden replied kindly, knowing it must have been bothering poor Tsule for a while.  
"You knew then?" Tsule asked, jerking his head up.

"Well-yeah." Caden admitted a bit sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Wait a minute-since when did he get _sheepish_?  
"How do you usually celebrate the Solstice?" Tsule asked him suddenly, jarring the red head out of his thoughts.  
"Me? Well-" Caden trailed off, thinking. "We're usually on the ship, so we try to get the morning chores over as fast as possible. Then we all head down to the galley to eat, but we eat on the deck if it's a good day. We save up all the good food for the Winter Solstice, so Berle brings out all exotic spices and all the foreign food. It's all very good. Then we usually gather together, leaving the center of either the belly of the ship or the deck clear, then the ones who have instruments they can play bring them out, and we dance and sing and laugh until evening chores. No business on Solstice days." He explained.  
"Sounds like fun." Tsule replied with a laugh.  
"Oh, it is. And our lookout, Rya, is from across the desert, so her people's dancing is very different. She taught it to some of the crew, and watching them dance around to some of the music is amazing. Truly. And the rum!" Caden perked up a little as he remembered his drinking habits. "We have rum and wine, and that certainly lifts spirits!" "You truly like your alcohol, don't you?" Tsule asked with amusement.

"Well," Caden chuckled, not thinking. "I am a pirate after all."

"You're probably- a what?" Tsule said, realizing what the man had said midsentence. Caden inwardly cursed at his slipup. This little mismatched family was growing on them, and he didn't want them to think he was a criminal. And he really didn't want Tsule thinking he was some sort of monster.

"A- pilot... for a ship. Have you heard of them?" Caden replied cheerfully, hoping Tsule wouldn't catch his slip up or buy his excuse.  
"You said pirate. You've also told me that you were a captain, so you can't have magically changed ranks." Tsule said, suspicion clear on his face. Ah well, Caden had known that Tsule wasn't stupid enough to fall for the lie, and he would have been disappointed if he had.  
"...Tsule, if I tell you the truth, will you promise not to tell Juniper or your aunts?" Caden asked the boy, praying that he'd agree. Tsule gave him a long, measuring glance, deciding whether or not to trust him.  
"Alright." Tsule agreed expression still wary but thankfully a little forgiving.  
"I'm the captain of the pirate ship Black Sprite. We do rob ships, yes, but we do have rules."Caden added, hopeful that Tsule would trust him, but Tsule only nodded his head so Caden could continue.  
"All of my siblings except my older brother are on the ship with me. We're still a family, even at sea. And we never attack a ship that can't defend itself or one that doesn't have a ship mage. Once we take over a ship, we don't kill anyone. After we take their cargo, we always leave enough supplies for the crew to get to shore. Always."

"I believe you." Tsule finally said after an excruciatingly never long silence. "One question, though. How did you end up in the middle of our woods?"

"Ah." Caden's faced darkened at Tsule's question. "A rival captain decided he'd take me away from my crew and my ship. He stabbed me, but I won the fight. He's actually probably why the wolves didn't chase me that far. They already had a meal."

"You'll go back to the ship in spring, then." Tsule asked the pirate, relaxing back onto his stomach.  
"Most likely." Caden replied, leaning against the tree trunk through the fabric of the tent. "You really haven't left these woods before, have you?"

"No. The aunts would never let me." Tsule said with a shake of his head.

"Then would you like to go with me when I leave in spring?" Caden asked, not thinking. Tsule turned to look at him, his blue bangs falling across his eyes.  
"On a pirate ship?"

"No, actually." Caden corrected with a chuckle."It'd be out of season for my crew to be in the nearest port in the spring. I'd spend the summer in the city."

"All summer? Just- seeing the sights?" Tsule asked, interested perked.  
"Well, I know the owner of a tavern in the Borra, the nearest city, so I'd probably do a little bartending to pay keep for a room, but yes. There'd be plenty of time to look around."

"I'd love to go!" Tsule sat up again, excitement shining in his hazel eyes. Caden chuckled, reminded at once why he was so endeared with the boy.  
"Alright, then. Just so-" They were interrupted by the gentle hum of the hunting charm.

"Guess I better get into position." Caden whispered, picking up his bow and quietly pointing out the weapon from in between the tent flaps.

"I wish it were still Solstice." Tsule grumbled. It had been three months since the wonderful holiday and the aunts and Juniper were busy with collecting sap and making syrup. They had their own building a mile away for their preparation, and Tsule and Caden weren't allowed near because of all the magic they put into boiling the sap into syrup. So instead, just like every year, Tsule stayed behind and kept the house cleaned and tried his hand at cooking while they were off working. Only this year he had someone with him for company.

Tsule glanced at the man who had so recently confessed to being a pirate. He was on his hands and knees with a brush in his hands and a bucket of soapy water at his side, trying to wash off a dark spot on the wooden floor and cursing as it wouldn't come up. He couldn't really be such a seasoned criminal as he claimed to be. But then again, all Tsule had to do was think of the night they had found him. He had traveled through the forest with stab wounds, fighting off wolves and whoever attacked him. Juniper had said that his aura had a dark shadow, but she had also said that he wasn't a threat to them unless they tried to hurt them. And he hadn't hurt them, even after Tsule had learned his secret, so that must be a good thing. Still-

Tsule sighed and banged his head on the table where he had been cutting up potatoes.

"Careful. You might hit the knife." Caden commented, standing up and stretching out of his scrunched up position.

"I won't." Tsule replied tiredly, staring at the masses of potatoes before him. Caden chuckled and pulled up a chair beside him and began to skin potatoes with an extra knife. "I'm glad." The red head replied as he began so slice of the skins.  
"I hate this time of year." Tsule said. "This is the first year I haven't been stuck here alone for a month."

"A month!? How long does this take?" Caden asked, surprised. Tsule shrugged.  
"Anywhere from two to six weeks. And we're only three days in."

"But think of the bright side! With me to help you, the chores are done by noon!" Caden said, determined to cheer the blue haired one up. Tsule allowed a small smile at that.  
"True.." he conceded, and started doing the potatoes again.  
"Plus, seeing as this is the last chore to do before we are free for the day, I have a plan."

"Plan?" Tsule asked, interest perked.  
"Ah, ah ah." Caden chided with a smirk. "It's a secret plan."

"You're no fun." Tsule pouted, but Caden noticed he worked on the potatoes faster then he had before. It wasn't long before the potatoes were done and put in cold water to soak and the peels were thrown to the compost corner of the garden.

"I'm done!" Tsule chirped as he came inside after lugging the skins into the yard. Caden spun around from where he was at the table, grinning.

"...What?" Tsule asked.  
"Look at what I have!" Caden said, standing aside and gesturing at the table. All Tsule could see was two chairs and a stack of small pieces of paper.  
"What is it?" he asked, poking at the stack and raising an eyebrow as it tipped over.  
"Don't tip over the deck! Fifty two pick up is NOT my idea of fun!" Caden protested, scooping up the deck and turning it into a stack again.  
"What is it?" Tsule repeated as he gazed at the deck with an unimpressed expression.  
"This is a deck of Fate Cards. I happen to be excellent at reading them." Caden told him and gestured for Tsule to sit at the table.  
"Fate Cards? What are Fate Cards?"

"Special cards made by magic that can tell your future. Of course, you have to have a talent at using them, and you have to take them with a grain of salt" Caden explained as he grinned at Tsule expectantly.  
"And you want to do what with them?" Tsule asked as he hesitantly.  
"Use them. Could be fun." Caden grinned at him, and sighed when he saw Tsule's face. "And I'll cook dinner tonight."

"Cards win!" Tsule replied with a smirk and sat down at the table.

'At least this won't be boring' he thought.  
Caden inwardly hyperventilated. He didn't know what the cards would reveal.  
Neither saw the figure lingering by the window, watching them.

A/N: OooO cliff hanger! A... horrible cliff hanger. But I've had you guys waiting for a chapter long enough so here ya go. Hope ya like it. Reviews feed the . but I don't review much cause I'm bad so I don't expect any -- And sorry for the slow updates, but I don't have much time. So hard to balance school and saving the world lol.


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